Mary: Responding to God in Faith

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Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” --Isaiah 7:14

It’s just like God to choose Mary, a young woman, betrothed but not yet married, one who would have little, if any, power in her own culture, to be the main character in we see THE turning point of human history. Not only does the story of Mary demonstrate God’s redemptive plan unfolding in a dramatic fashion, it also shows us something extremely powerful regarding humanity’s response to that redemptive plan. As much as the prophecies about the Messiah are about Him, they are also about our reaction to and reception to Him.

Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.” -- Luke 1:38

Unfortunately, history bears out humanity’s large scale rejection of Jesus and His work on the cross, but from the very moments that Scripture shows us this turning point, we are also shown the correct response to God’s redemptive plan. Mary demonstrates to us to correct response when we are confronted with God’s unfolding redemptive plan:

1. Humility: Scripture tells us that humility is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. It says not “me first” but “others first.” Proverbs 22:4 says “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.” By humility, we can recognize our own value and worth in God’s eyes but we do not put ourselves above others. By humility we acknowledge that God created us for his purposes and not for our own gratification. When Mary chooses to place her life in God’s hands, knowing exactly the magnitude of what the angel had told her, knowing that there may be pain and humiliation in her future, she was saying “not me first” but “others first.” She was choosing to put God’s plan above her own and she was choosing to put the future salvation of others before her own comfort. She had a bigger picture in mind, one in which she would be blessed for the ways that God was using her. She was willing to be humbled for God to be glorified.

2. Obedience: Obedience is related to trust in many ways. It is to hear God, believe what he has said, and act according to what God has said. In fact, it was because of Abraham’s obedience that the God promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed. One of the things that I most enjoy about God is his ability to handle our questions, something that we see evidenced here. Mary had questions, she wasn’t sure how things were going to work out for she asked “how will this be, since I am a virgin?” Yet, once the angel answered her questions and assured her that “nothing will be impossible with God” her reaction is immediate and clear—she calls herself a servant of God and determines to do all according to what the angel has told her. In fact, she later exclaims “my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” There was no complaining or explaining why she couldn’t do what the angel laid out, she simply heard God’s word and acted accordingly.

3. Faithfulness: Faithfulness is steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in keeping what we are entrusted with. Biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God—His existence, His works, and His character. Mary was so faithful to God that others were able to observe that in her. We see of this in her cousin Elizabeth’s reaction to her “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what is spoken to her from the Lord.” Psalm 28:20 says “A faithful man will abound with blessings.” ”

It is interesting to consider that in some ways Mary was really not that different than other young women of her time, for even the name Mary was extremely common. What Scripture seems to show us set her apart was her attitude and commitment to God. A.W. Tozer said, “The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.”

While it may be true that Mary was not that different than other girls her age at the time, she did what so many others before her failed to do… she responded to God’s redemptive work. Not only that, but she did it with humility, obedience, and faithfulness. She demonstrates that proper response to God’s redemptive plan and the logical conclusion, then, is that we too should respond to God’s redemptive work, in all its forms, with the same humility, obedience, and faithfulness.. In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” This isn’t a command to blind obedience in which God is a dictator. We are able to respond in humility, obedience, and faithfulness to the work of God in our lives because we love God and are in relationship with Him.

If we are to follow the model of Mary, whose amazing role in God’s redemptive work can’t be downplayed, how should we do so? It is easy enough to say be humble, be obedient, and be faithful and call it done. There isn’t an easy three step application here, unfortunately, but a chance for us all to take an honest look at our lives and ask ourselves… do I discern when God is working and do I respond? If I respond, do I do so in a way that will allow God to use me or do I say “me first”?